


Emerald Days

by BeautyWithMelancholy



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, F/M, Gryffindor, Hogwarts, Hufflepuff, Potter Twins, Quidditch, Ravenclaw, Sirius Black Lives, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Slow Romance, Slytherin, Technically underage, but doesn't become an actual romance for a WHILE, emotionally constipated Severus Snape, harry's twin - Freeform, like seriously, sirius raises harry's twin, the two who lived, this is slow burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-10-12
Updated: 2015-10-15
Packaged: 2018-04-25 23:38:29
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,780
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4981204
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BeautyWithMelancholy/pseuds/BeautyWithMelancholy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What if not one, but two Potters survived You-Know-Who's attack that fateful night?<br/>Emerald was 15 minutes younger than Harry but just as famous. She however, is famous for a different reason; the Wizarding World believes her to be missing. Some believe that she was killed and then for some reason buried. Others say that the Dark Lord stole her away and has hidden her for all the wonder and worry. None, however, ever considered that Dumbledore tasked Sirius Black to hide Emerald away for none to know of her until the time was right.<br/>Harry might have been the boy who lived, but Emerald was the girl who lived. And they both had a place in history, and a destiny that could mean the rebirth or destruction of all wizards and muggles.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> with the wand things, (wood and core) you can look at this: http://harrypotter.wikia.com/wiki/Willow to see what Emerald's wand wood says about her. And look up this: http://harrypotter.wikia.com/wiki/Unicorn_hair to see sort of the personality that her wand exibits!

"Emerald! You need to get up!"

A deep voice shouted through the closed door as the wizard banged on it. Inside the dark bedroom lay a girl of 11 years old. Her gentle voice groaned and as the loud knocking continued, a small figure emerged from the thick blankets.

Emerald sat up with a sigh and called, "I'm up, I'm up! No need to continue your voice making!"

Sirius Black's grinning face popped through the door. "Just as there is no need for your sass, Emmy."

"Aren't you the one that taught me the 'ancient art of talking back'?" Emerald raised an unimpressed eyebrow at her godfather while stepping out of bed and sweeping her ringlet red locks out of her face.

Sirius snorted and gave a dramatic sigh. "Alas, I did. And created a monster by doing so!"

Emerald laughed and shook her head. "Leave me alone so that I can get dressed Sirius."

Sirius smiled once more before doing as he was told, closing the door behind him with a small creak of wood that seemed to want to tell its old age to the world.

Stepping to the window, she peaked out towards the wooded area around her and then towards the sun that hung lazily in the sky. A glance at her calendar that had already marked the day off by itself shot a streak of excitement through Emerald that caused her to hurriedly walk to her wardrobe and pick out a simple blue sweater and dark jeans. Dressed in just a minute's time and running down the stairs, the girl slammed the bathroom door shut behind her and began brushing the faintly still damp curls out by her finger tips in order to relieve them of the tangles and to dry them a bit faster.

As she brushed her teeth, Emerald gazed upon her reflection in the antique mirror grimly. She had seen pictures of her parents, and at times she could see the resemblance that Sirius spoke so much of, but others she couldn't. This was one of the bitter-sweet times that she did see the similarities through her bright, sleepy jade eyes, red and uncontrollable hair, and pale freckled skin. 'A perfect mixture of Lily and James.' Sirius would say. And she supposed that she would finally find out if others thought that also, soon enough today.

Washing her face quickly, Emerald walked out of the bathroom and into the kitchen where Sirius was making a small breakfast of sausage, eggs, and toast. When he heard the girl's footsteps he looked over his shoulder with a smile. "Good morning. You're just in time to eat! We need to be quick about it! The train is leaving in just under two hours."

With that, the two ate in a silence that was filled with emotion. Sirius had expressed his worry and excitement about Emerald's leaving for school. Yes, he was happy that she was going to finally be able to go to Hogwarts and meet other wizards and witches her age. But he was also distraught at the thought that she was going to be possibly exposed to all the things that they had been trying to protect her from since that dreadfully fateful night. Dumbledore would constantly bring up the fact that they would not always be there to hide her away when he would start protesting, causing the man to fall into an accepting silence.

When finished with their breakfast the wizard flicked his wand to start the dishes to begin washing themselves, and then they were in a flurry to pack up their muggle car.

"Do you have your books?"

"Yes, I do."

"And your luggage is in the trunk?"

"Of course it is. You just put it in there."

"And Arya?"

"In her cage in the backseat."

"Your wand?"

"Is right-" Emerald checked her pocket to find it empty."Upstairs!" She ran back up to her room, and came back down with a 13 inch, willow wand in her grasp. They had only just gotten her wand the other day, which was a very interesting experience, to say the least. Sirius had to use a Polyjuice potion so that no one would recognize him. The potion turned him into a random wizard fellow, whom Emerald had snagged a few pieces of hair from the day before the brew was complete. Then, when they arrived at Olivanders for her wand, it took the longest time to find one that would choose her. Finally, after countless tries, a gentle light and warmth filled the room as she held her willow wand which, Mr. Oliver told them in a grand voice, was, 'Rare enough on its own without the unicorn hair core. Willow and unicorn hair...rare compination indeed...' 

Sirius smiled down at her as they left the wand shop. "Your mother had that same wand wood, you know. A very powerful type, especially paired with that core. I think I'll give you a book on wandlore sometime. You might enjoy reading up on it." And of course he was right. 

"Right! All set then!"

And then the pair was off. In thirty minutes they had arrived at Kings Cross Station. Sirius kept his head down as he pushed Emerald's trolly along until they arrived between platforms 9 and 10. Sirius took a deep breath and faced Emerald, grabbing her shoulders gently and kneeling before her. A sad smile touched his lips, causing Emerald's to tremble slightly while gripping his fingers tightly.

"This will be very exciting, no doubt. But you have never been around so many people my dear. Though for good reason, it has made you so dearly shy. So please, do your best to make friends. And...keep your brother out of trouble when you see him."

Emerald smiled shakily and nodded, then hugged her godfather tightly. "I shall write to you the moment I am in my dorm."

Sirius hugged her back, and if she wasn't mistaken, Emerald believed she could feel a slight tremor in his hands. "I will await it eagerly, my dear."

With this, the young witch stood back and gave Sirius one last smile, before pushing her trolly through the wall, becoming faced with a nerve racking and frighteningly new challenge. People.

Emerald was not used to being around such a large amount of people, so crowded that they're bumping into her shoulders left and right. Sure, every now and then she would go to the store and markets with Sirius, but those were muggles, people who even if they heard her name, would not know who she was in the least. These kids grew up hearing about her brother and her, were told different ideas of what happened to Emerald by their own parents.

The moment they found out who she was, they would watch her wherever she went. She just knew it. However, even though she was scared, Emerald was so happy. She wouldn't be a secret anymore. Even though it was to protect her against forces that might want to harm her, that didn't change the fact that she would get lonely. Sirius, Remus and Dumbledore did their best to make her feel loved and happy-and they did so wonderfully. But she'd never had a friend, and she always felt this...empty spot in her. At night, when she was laying down in her bed and staring up into the darkness, she felt it so much more. She always assumed that she felt this because she was so far away from her brother. After all, she knew so much about him, while he didn't even have an inkling that she existed.

She understood why this was- Harry couldn't know that he was magical, that he was famous. And knowing that he had a sister out there somewhere would bring up too many questions. 'Why didn't she come live with us?' 'Why did she die in the "car crash" but I didn't?' She heard from Dumbledore that the Dursleys didn't tell Harry about anything, and even though Sirius was outraged about this, Emerald suspected that Dumbledore knew all along that this would happen. Emerald didn't understand why, but if he thought that it was for the best, then she wouldn't argue with him.

Though, she wasn't looking forward to that awkward conversation.

'Hi, I know that you only just found out that you're a wizard like, a month ago, but I'm sorta kinda your sister.'

Yeah, not the most fun situation.

"Excuse me, but if you're going to get onto the train, now might be a good time." Emerald looked up in surprise at the kind voice to find a red headed boy, around her own age.

He smiled faintly and held out his hand. "Do you want help with your stuff? Why aren't your parents with you?"

Emerald nodded and offered a gentle smile. "Yes, thank you. And my godfather had to leave. Things to do and such, you know?"

The red head nodded in understanding and then took one of her bags, walking onto the train with her. "I'm Ron, by the way. Ron Weasley." They found an almost empty compartment, and set their luggage on top of it. "And you are?"

She felt her heart skip a beat at the question, before she calmed her nerves and faced Ron. "Emmy. Its nice to meet you." He flashed a quick smile, then opened the door to the compartment.

At which point Emerald nearly had a heart attack.

Sitting by the window was a boy that she had only seen in pictures that Dumbledore would give her every now and then. His glasses were taped dozens of times for some reason, and his clothes hung off of his body. They looked  _so_ different, even more so than she thought before. Where Harry was rather average in height, Emerald was slightly shorter. Where she had freckles, he had smooth skin. His hair was dark like their father's, while her own was as red as their mother's.

But their eyes. Their eyes were so very identical. The same green eyes that Emerald was named after.

Ron moved to sit across from Harry, his eyes wide in wonder.

"My brothers-they said that you're-that you're Harry Potter..."

Harry looked so awkward Emerald nearly left bad for him as she sat on the same plush bench as Ron. "Um, yes, I-I am."

Ron got so very excited, bless his heart. "I'm Ron Weasley! Is it true that you have the..." He pointed to his own forehead. Harry seemed to understand what he meant, because he pushed his hair away from his eyes, revealing the lightning bolt scar. At the sight of it, Emerald sees a flash of green, and hears the memory of a baby's cry of pain. She closes her eyes tightly and takes breath to push the little blast from the past away while listening to Ron gasp.

Before the red head could say anything else though, the door of the compartment opened. Stepping through was a platinum blonde, and two... _large...boys._ The ones on either end stood as though they were bodyguards for the blonde, who was currently looking at Ron rather rudely, before turning his gaze onto Harry."

"It's true then, what they're saying on the train. Harry Potter has come to Hogwarts. This is Crabb and Goyle, and I'm Malfoy...Draco Malfoy." He looked to be about to say something else, when Ron's snickering interrupted him. Draco glared at him sharply.

"You think my name's fun, do you? No need to ask your's. Red hair, and a hand me down robe? You must be a Weasley. We'll soon find that some wizarding families are better than others, Potter. Don't want to make friends with the wrong sort." He smirks and holds out his hand towards Harry. "I can help you there."

Harry stared Draco down firmly. "I think I can tell the wrong sort for myself, thanks."

The blonde and his goons instantly had snarls on their faces, and took a step towards Harry and Ron. Quickly, Emerald stood up between the two groups, finding that she is just barely the shortest in the compartment. She didn't let that bother her though as she faced the three glaring bullies.

"I don't think it would be a good idea to start a fight with  _Harry Potter_ right before we get to Hogwarts. Why don't you guys go and give someone else some issues?"

Malfoy snorted and stepped closer. "Who are you to tell me what to do?"

Emerald narrowed her eyes in anger. "Someone you don't want to mess with. I can get a Perfect in here if you want to cause any trouble."

And he, like any other bully, tried to look tough while cowering away from the threat of authority. With a bitter, 'This isn't over' he and the goons left.

She sat down again to find the two boys staring at her. Then Harry spoke up. "I'm sorry, I didn't ask your name."

 The young witch smiled gently. "Emmy. Lovely to meet you."

Harry nodded in agreement and returned her smile, before they heard the sweets trolly come by. Ron didn't seem to have the money for anything, so both Emerald and Harry bought more than enough to share.

She knew that Harry must have gotten the sickles that he used from their family vault in Gringotts. Emerald could not do such a thing, since no one really knew that she was alive. So, Dumbledore gave her some money until it was known that she was indeed not dead. After that, she would be able to use the Potter vault as Harry did.

Emerald helped herself to one of Ron's sandwiches as he inhaled more than half of her candy. She listened as he explained to Harry how the chocolate frog trading cards worked along with other things. Truthfully, she was simply happy that she didn't seem too odd to others her age, nor too shy or quiet yet. Though she was quite sure that once everyone knew who she was, then they would form such opinions about her. But that was later, and she always did her best not to focus on the future if it wasn't important.

When they were maybe an hour away, the compartment door opened once more, showing a girl who's hair was tragically frizzy, standing in front of a shy looking boy with dark hair.

The girl spoke quickly with an authoritative tone. "Have any of you seen a toad? Neville has managed to lose his."

The three shook their heads no, and then the door was closed again with a little sharp bang. Harry's and Ron's chatter continued until some time later when the same girl came back, sitting cross from Emerald very suddenly.

"You should all change into your robes soon, you know. We'll be arriving to school momentarily, I'm sure. I'm Hermione Granger, by the way."

Harry and Ron both muttered hellos and their own names, and then Hermione looked to Emerald. "And you?"

She sat a bit straighter, and said lightly. "I'm Emmy."

Emerald then spotted a glance at the book that Hermione grasped in her hands. Her eyes widen and she grinned. "Is that  _Moste Potente Potions_?" The frizzy haired brunette was surprised at her abrupt excitement, then processed her question with a wide smile of her own.

"Oh yes, very interesting! Have you gotten the chance to read it yet?"

Emerald shook her head sadly. "I'm afraid not. Hadn't been able to find a decent copy."

Hermione held out the large book to her and said kindly, "You can read mine, then. I finished midway through the ride."

The red headed girl smiled so very brightly that the two boys were a tad shocked. She hadn't talked this much the whole way to Hogwarts, and the moment she spotted a potions book so got all excited. To be honest, the two had not pegged her as a nerd. "Thank you very much. even if we turn out to be in different Houses, I'll be sure to return it to you." Emerald grabbed the potions book gently and placed it inside her carry on bag.

"Would you mind showing me where the lady's room is, so that I may change?" Hermione shook her head that she wouldn't mind, and led Emerald towards the bathrooms while Harry asked Ron what she was talking about when she mentioned Houses.

The two girls stuck with each other, chatting about some of the school textbooks they had already read and discussing which parts they liked the most, until they were told to get into the small boats four at a time. They managed to catch the one that Ron and Harry sat in, thankfully.

All of the first years gazed at what would be their home for the whole school year in such amazed awe until they walked through the doors. Then they all pointed and 'oohed' about this and that until they were stopped by an older woman who's hair was pulled tightly into a bun, and had square glasses on the bridge of her nose.

"Welcome to Hogwarts. I am Professor McGonagall. Now, in a few moments, you will pass through these doors and join your classmates. But before you can take your seats you must be sorted into your Houses. They are Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin. Now, while you are here, your House will be like your family. Your triumphs will earn you house points. Any rule breaking, and you will lose points. At the end of the year, the House with the most points is awarded the house cup."

"Trevor!" The boy from before, Neville, jumped forward and scooped up a toad by Professor McGonagall's feet. At her hard stare, he backed away sheepishly and muttered, "Sorry."

Emerald could tell that McGonagall wanted so dearly to roll her eyes. But she supposed that such a thing would be inappropriate with a student, because the professor simply shook her head in exasperation. Emerald caught the teacher's eye, and she instantly could tell that the elderly woman knew who she was, her wise and sharp eyes boring into her. Emerald smiled weakly at the professor, and with that the woman turned and lead the first years into the great hall.

There were gasps from everyone as they looked up at the ceiling which looked like the night sky with candles floating.

 _'Enchanted'_ Emerald thought to herself, just as Hermione said loudly to everyone. "It's not real, the ceiling. Its just bewitched to look like the night sky. I read about it in  _Hogwarts: A History_."

McGonagall stopped and held out a hand towards the students to make them stop as well. "All right, will all of you wait along here, please? Now, before we begin, Professor Dumbledore would like to say a few words."

Everyone seemed to fall silent with bated breath as an old wizard stepped to the podium, looking out to all of the students. His hair and beard were both white as snow, and he was so very tall, though not as tall as Hagrid, who the first years just had just met at the boats. His eyes were blue and so very kind, and Emerald was incredibly happy to see him again after his inability to visit her the last few weeks what with school about to begin.

"I have a few start of term notices I wish to announce. The first years, please note that the forbidden forest is strictly prohibited to all students. Also, our caretaker, Mr. Filtch, has asked me to remind you that the 3rd floor on the right hand side is out of bounds to everybody who does not wish to die a horrible death. Thank you." And with that, he smiled and sat back down at the head  table, allowing McGonagall to take the podium, a long scroll of parchment in hand. 

"When I call your name, you will come forth, and I shall place the sorting hat on your head, and you will be sorted into your Houses."

As the professor went on, the first of their little group she got to was Hermione. As the bushy headed girl went up, Ron muttered to the other two, "Mental, that one."

Harry nodded in agreement, but Emerald frowned. "I don't think so. It's obvious that she's muggle-born. I'm sure she's just uncomfortable not knowing about things that most everyone else does. She's really rather smart and nice." Ron and Harry both looked down at their shoes and felt bad for a moment, before they heard the sorting hat yell, 'Gryffindor!'

The Gryffindor table bursted out in cheers at the fact that they had acquired yet another new member. Hermione grinned happily and practically skipped to her new House table.

It went on once again. On Malfoy, before the hat even touched his head it screamed, 'Slytherin', and rightfully so. The blonde smirked and then sat down next to his goons as the name calling continued.

As the alphabet got closer and closer to P, Emerald's stomach tied tighter and tighter into knots. Yet, when it came to Potter, Harry's name was called. Emerald's eyes went wide, and flew to Dumbledore, who simply smiled to silently tell her to be patient. She took a breath and nodded slightly, both to herself and Dumbledore. Harry was placed into Gryffindor.

More and more were called. Ron was placed in Gryffindor, and Emerald was pretty sure that his brothers, minus one named Percy, and Harry screamed the loudest. She became more anxious by the second, until she was there alone, a fidgeting mess.

McGonagall hesitated, then spoke clearly. "Emerald Potter."

And all was silent. Slowly, Emerald felt all eyes of the school on her. As she walked forward, no one began whispering quietly like they did on Harry's turn. Instead it was only dead silence, and that made her more nervous than the long wait.

Slowly, she sat in the chair and the sorting hat was placed on her head. She then heard a voice the quieter version of the one that had been shouting the House names.

_"Such a bright young lady. Nearly as smart as the young Granger girl. Yet you are so very timid at times. But at others you speak without thought, and are a fire to be reckoned with. Your cunning is so very much like your twin's, you could do well in Slytherin. But no, your shyness and kindness would make you the brunt of mockery in such a house. Perhaps Ravenclaw?..."_

Emerald grimaced slightly and thought back,  _'Please, please put me in Gryffindor...'_

_"Ohhhh, Gryffindor eh? Yes, with your friends and brother. I believe that you might flourish in such a House as well. All right then-"_

"GRYFFINDOR", was shouted louder than any other House name before. And though it took a moment, the Gryffindor table shouted in excitement. In a second Emerald shot to the table, hiding between twins that she later found out were Fred and George Weasley.

Professor Dumbledore stepped up again, causing everyone to finally turn their stares from Emerald to himself. "Many of you, if not all, must be wondering if she is the Emerald Potter that you have all been taught about. And the answer is yes, she is. She has been protected and hidden for reasons that shall not be mentioned now. And I would like to implore all of you to not treat her, nor her twin Harry, at all different than how you treat each other. And with that, let the feast begin!"

And suddenly, food appeared on all the long tables. While everyone forgot about her momentarily, one did not. She waved awkwardly at Harry as he stared at her in shock, questions in his eyes, and she knew that later in the common room, she would have much explaining to do.

So, she did the first thing that came to mind.

She gave an awkward wave, then began to fill her plate with food.

She supposed that this made Harry realize that he was staring rudely, because he did the same and allowed himself to be distracted by a conversation with everyone at the table.

Of course some talked to Emerald also, but not as many as who talked with Harry, which she understood and perfectly content with. They were all ready to talk with Harry Potter; had questions already lined up in their minds. But they never expected to ever meet Emerald Potter. They were in shock and didn't know what to do. So, they did what most people did when they were faced with something that they didn't know how to handle; they ignored it.

All except Hermione, of course.

" _I'm Emmy._  Yes, a nice 'which is short for Emerald' would have been nice! To think that I told Emerald  _Potter_ that her robe was on inside out!"

Emerald's cheeks went pink as Hermione continued to rant at her. She gave a glance towards the teachers' main table to find some watching her. One was Dumbledore, who she gave a glare. She should have known that he would make her introduction as dramatic as possible. He simply gave the young witch a cheeky grin, before turning back to a just barely amused McGonagall. The other who was staring at her looked...well, as though he had just seen a ghost. And not one like Nearly-Headless Nick. The professor's hair was chin length, and she would be lying is she said that his hooked nose was not rather large. His robes seemed somehow darker than everyone else's, and his eyes looked, from this distance, near black. Those eyes looked as though they saw something that was not her, while staring right at her. They were sad and angry and for some reason confused.

She decided that she was simply exhausted, and should stop being rude and look away. So, she turned her eyes back to Hermione and finished eating. The perfect in Gryffindor, who happened to be Ron's elder brother, showed them the long way to their new common room, told them to password, and sent them off to bed.

No one noticed though, that Emerald and Harry Potter stayed back, and when all were upstairs the pair sat down, and stared at each other.

Finally, Harry broke the silence. "This has been one hell of a month."

Emerald couldn't help but laugh at this.


	2. Chapter Two

"I"m sure it has been pretty difficult of a month for you." Emerald spoke finally after a minute of their quiet laughter. "I don't know what I would do if I found out about all of this the same way you did. And adding a twin to the equation makes it even more confusing, I'm guessing."

Harry nodded and smiled a little. "But its a happy sort of confusing. So...which one of us is older?" At her reply of 'you're 15 minutes older' he grinned wider. "So, I'm an older brother."

Emerald snorted and rolled her eyes. "Don't let it get to your head. Now, if you have any questions, ask. I'll do my best to answer them, if I am able."

Harry thought for a moment, and as he did so Emerald looked around to take in the common room. It was decorated in reds and golds, and every now and then you could find the lion symbol on little things. It was cozily warm because of the fire lazily blazing across from the twins, and even without that, Emerald thought that it would feel homey. 

Harry brought her attention back to him when he nodded to himself, seemingly collecting his thoughts.

"Alright, why were we separated?"

Emerald sighed, bring her legs up to relax against her chest, looping her arms loosely around them. "Dumbledore told me a time back that it would be best to be kept apart. If a wizard or witch has a twin, they tend to depend on one another more so than other siblings. Watch Fred and George sometime and you'll see what I mean. There are theories that magical twins have so much of a bond that even their magic relies on one another to a certain degree. Dumbledore said that he did not wish for us to be burdened with such a disadvantage, because if ever we were left to our own devises in a critical situation, things might turn for the worst. That doesn't mean I was completely on board with keeping us apart though."

Harry thought of this for a second, then asked "How long have you known that you had a twin?"

Emerald smiled sadly. "For as long as I could remember. I understand that you wish someone had told you before, but...it was hard. Knowing that you have a sibling, the last connection you have to your parents, but are not able to see them for so very long. Dumbledore would somehow get me pictures of you, when I was feeling especially lonely."

"Why were you lonely?"

She shrugged. "I might have known about the Wizarding world, but I was still being protected-hidden. You must remember, Harry, everyone believed me to be either dead, or wishing to be dead while in the hands of a Death Eater or someone of the sort. People were wanting to protect us both, but they decided to do it different ways. You went to live with our muggle aunt and uncle, and I stayed with a family friend. It just happened that both methods made us a little lonely."

Harry tilted his head. "What family friend?"

Emerald hesitated in her response. You see, Sirius was supposedly on the run from the Ministry and everyone else, because so many believe that he was the one to have lead Voldemort to Harry's and her's parents in order to gain approval in the eyes of the Dark Lord. Dumbledore however, knew that this assumption was absolute nonsense. And since he needed Black to keep one of James' children, he helped him stay hidden. Harry couldn't find out about their godfather though, not yet at least. Sirius asked her not to tell her twin. She thought that he just wasn't ready to see Harry because of how identical he looked to their father. Even though Sirius was friends with Lily, whom Emerald favored after more, his best friend was and would always be James. The sight of Harry would probably bring feelings of both happiness and pain in its wake.

"Someone that our father was very close to. He's a wonderful man; very funny and incredibly dramatic. Some day I'm sure you'll meet him."

Harry did not seem to appreciate her cryptic answer, but he accepted it with a barely heard sigh.

Emerald began plaiting her hair into a French braid as she spoke again. "I'm bored of answering questions. Let me ask somethings." He rolled his eyes, but allowed her change of subject with grace.

"Fine, fine, ask away."

Emerald smiled at his cheeky tone. "Tell me about the Dursleys. Dumbledore has mentioned them previously, but not in length. What he has said doesn't seem too pleasant."

Harry's light eyes turned annoyed and his natural smile into a scowl. His twin knew that it wasn't directed at her though. Dumbledore's expression was much the same when he talked of her aunt and uncle.

"They're rightful gits. My-or, that is,  _our_ cousin, is just as large as his father-who must have at least five chins, and each of them are their own level of obnoxious. You're lucky you didn't get stuck with the people..." And he went on to rant about Dudley and his little gang, much reminding Emerald of the Malfoy boy and his goons. He told his newly found twin about how they were so dreadful to him; how for years they lead him to believe that their parents were killed in a car accident.

As Harry continued, Emerald felt a grim bitterness towards her aunt and uncle. How could they treat their own  _nephew_ that way? She could never see herself doing such a thing just because she was jealous of her sibling, or scared of what she didn't understand. Because those were obviously the reasons behind their terrible attitude towards Harry. Petunia was jealous that her sister was special, while her husband was a control freak who went berserk the moment he was faced with something he couldn't physically touch or understand.

Odd how simple emotions that we tend to overlook produce such ill effects.

After a while of talking to one another, getting to know their 'other half' as Fred and George were putting it earlier in order to lighten the tense atmosphere, they had managed to stay up until two in the morning, and were really quite tired after such a taxing day. So, with a smile and a hug goodnight, they went their separate ways.

Finally, Emerald made it up to the room that had her name on a golden plaque connected to the door, along with Hermione's, of which she was incredibly grateful for. Gently creaking the door open, she used a simple  _lumos_ spell to create a gentle light from the tip of her wand to guide her way to the bare bed next to the window, across from the one in which Hermione lay upon. After grabbing some night clothes from her luggage at the foot of her bed, she showered quickly and flopped down unceremoniously onto her bed. Then, with a whisper of  _nox_ the tip of her wand dimmed the room from a gentle light to a soothing darkness that gripped Emerald until she was in the deepest of sleeps.

 

"Emmy! Come on, you need to get up! We simply  _must_ get going! I want to see our schedules for class!"

Emerald groaned softly at the sound of Hermione's voice breaking through her happy dreams. "Yes, yes. I'm up." She sat up with a long, blissful, stress and looked around the room.

Now that she was able to see it properly she was pleasantly surprised. It was large and just as cozy as the common room was last night. It proclaimed the same bright golds and reds of Gryffindor, and even had separate vanities for both herself and Hermione. 

"Emerald!"

With this sharp reminder of what she was supposed to be doing, the red head got out of bed with a sigh, dressing into her dark robes while grabbing her books and bag.

"There, ready. Are you happy n-hey!"

Hermione did not let her finish as she grabbed Emerald's wrist and dragged her out of the room, down the stairs, and through the common room. Emerald was just barely able to grasp Harry's collar as they passed by, causing him to grab Ron's arm. It took them a minute to unattached themselves from Hermione, who then got annoyed with their slow speed and bounded off on her own to the great hall. The three sighed in relief, walking a more subdued speed.

"What did I say last night! Absolutely mental!" Ron exclaimed as he glared at the place where the poofy haired girl once stood. Harry nodded in agreement, just as he did the night before.

Emerald shook her head with a displeasured frown. "She's just excited. I am too honestly. I mean, who  _wouldn't_ be excited to start learning magic? You and I grew up knowing about this stuff and we're still thrilled to be here! Consider her feelings."

Ron snorted and rolled his eyes, connecting exasperated gazes with Harry. "Girls" They said in unison. Emerald gave pity on them and chose to ignore this.

They made it to the great hall, which was just as splendid in the morning as it was the previous night. All the long tables were filled with mouth watering food that never seemed to deplete. The group took their seats; Emerald with Hermione to compare schedules, while Harry and Ron sat with Seamus and Neville to talk about who knows what. They all ate as quickly as possible, eager to get to their first class. Transfiguration.

It turned out that the teacher for this particular class was professor McGonagall, who was incredibly sever in stare and made it quite clear in the beginning that she would not take any sort of distractions from anyone. She proved this by taking five points from her own House when Seamus chose to laugh at poor Neville, who couldn't make his piece of string turn into a needle.

As Harry and Emerald walked out together, having lost sight of both Hermione and Ron, they groaned at their next class. Not because of the subject itself; Emerald found potion making fascinating and extremely enjoyable when Sirius would implore her to help him- which was often. The dear man was dreadful at making even an easy sleeping draught.

No, the issue was that they had doubles class with Slytherin.

Meaning that stupid Malfoy and his idiot bodyguards would be there. Every time Harry or Emerald caught the eye of the blonde, he would scowl and just make their happy mood dissipate. Very sad, quite honestly.

Alas, they couldn't skip a class just because of inconvenient people, so they followed the rest of the first year Gryffindors to the dungeons, which was where one professor Snape's class room was located.

As expected from a room in the  _dungeons_ , it was cold, and rather muggy. The lights were dimmed in order to not blind the eyeballs of the beetles that lay at the students' disposal, and there was a tense silence that enveloped all the students. The waves of utter annoyance coming off of their professor usually had that effect, even on the seventh years.

Hermione was seated next to some Gryffindor that Emerald had not yet met, and Ron was talking with one Tracey Davis. There was only one table left empty...in the middle of the classroom. The twins gave each other a weary look, but sighed and sat down at the desk.

The moment that they were seated, class began. 

With a wave of his wand, Snape slammed the door closed, and opened some of the shades to the windows.

His voice was dull and she could tell that if it wasn't for her interests in this class, she would have fallen asleep the moment he started droning on.

"There will be no foolish wand waving or incantations in this class. As such, I don't expect many of you to enjoy the subtle science and exact art that is potion making."  _'A bit presumptuous, eh professor?'_ Emerald thought dryly before listening to him continue. "However, for those select few-" Did his eyes just cut over to Malfoy with a bit of a smile? "-who possess the predisposition, I can teach you how to bewitch the mind and ensnare the senses. I can tell you how to bottle fame, brew glory, and even put a stopper on death." Emerald had to admit that that was a good metaphor. Snape's eyes flashed suddenly to Harry and his sister, to find Emerald watching him quietly and Harry writing down all that he had just said. _  
_

Emerald quickly nudged his ribs a bit harshly to grab his attention. Harry looked at her for a split second, before turning his eyes towards Snape.

"Mr. and Ms. Potter...our new celebrities." He drawled out sharply, his eyes narrowing on the two. "Mr. Potter, tell me, what would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?" Emerald saw Hermione's hand shoot up as Harry shrugged a silent 'I have no idea'. "You don't know? Well, lets try again. Where, Mr. Potter, would you look if I asked you to find me a bezoar?" You could tell that the professor was enjoying this now. Hermione's hand waved a bit in the air.

"I...don't know sir." Harry squirmed a little in his seat as he replied to their teacher.

"And what is the difference between Monkshood and Wolfsbane?" The poofy haired girl's hand went even higher.

"I don't know, sir." Harry said again, this time quieter in embarrassment.

Snape's expression turned to a sneer as he replied, "Pity. Clearly, fame isn't everything, is it Mr. Potter?"

Before the boy could say anything else, the professor turned to Emerald, his jaw tightening even more at the sight of her. "And you, Ms. Potter? Do you know the answers to  _any_ of my questions?"

Emerald did not wish to show her brother up, nor to make herself seem like a know it all. She did, however, very much want to take that pleased expression off of the annoying teacher's face. So, she replied simply.

"If you mix powdered root of asphodel to a wormwood infusion, you create a sleeping draught so powerful, it is referred to usually as the  _Draught of Living Death_. If you, for some odd reason, asked me to find a bezoar for you, I would have to look in the stomach of a goat; its a stone that is inside there. It will save you from most potions." Snape's smug expression slowly morphed into a cold mask as Emerald continued. "There is no difference between Monkshood and Wolfsbane. They're the same plant that is also known as the  _Aconite_ , sir.

It was silent for a moment after Emerald finished speaking. Snape's expression did not let anything on, making Emerald nervous enough to tap her quill of her shared desk in order not to fidget under his scrutiny. Finally, he nodded stiffly and turned towards the board, writing notes down.

"Five points to Gryffindor." Everyone in the class froze; Snape never gives out points to different Houses, especially Gryffindor. He finished writing whatever it was he was dong on the board and then turned to his stunned students.

"Well, what are you waiting for? There will be a quiz on these notes tomorrow."

The students quickly forgot their shock, too busy writing down everything they could before their professor erased it.

 


	3. Chapter Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, very quickly; in chapter 1 I changed Emerald's wand details. Her wand is now willow with a unicorn core! That is all! Please continue!

After taking notes in the potions class, they had to start their first brew.

Well, most of the students' first brew that is. Emerald had already done a few every now and then.

Sirius was rather lousy at potion making after all, yet at times they _needed_ one. Like when they went to get her wand, they had to make a polyjuice potion so that Sirius could walk around without having to worry for the hour that they were at Hogmeade. At first, her godfather tried to do it himself, but then within the first week, he somehow caused a small explosion in their dinning room. So Emerald took over.

Just like she did when he tried to make Baruffio's brain elixir in order to make uncle Remus think that he was actually intelligent.

And when he asked her to make a befuddlement draught, to get back at Remus after he ate the last of the cookies Emerald had made.

Emerald also had to make her own cough potion when Sirius tried and failed. Three times.

Developing solutions, sleeping draughts, invigoration draughts, and the list goes on of what Sirius Black was absolutely incapable of doing. The only potion Emerald had ever done for herself was blemish blitzer for whenever she had the odd bought of acne.

So, needless to say, Emerald could do a simple hiccoughing draught. Harry was just lucky to be her partner. She told him what to do, and he followed her directions to the letter.

Emerald and Harry finished before anyone else, so they were putting their ingredients and tools they used away when they heard Snape praise Malfoy for his potion. Emerald took a glance at it as she walked past the Slytherin's table.

It was too thick, in her opinion, but that was expected in a first year who had not made a potion before.

Emerald was sitting down in her chair again, chatting quietly with Harry about how muggle school was-which, from Harry's description, was terrible. As she was about to tell her twin about her being homeschooled, they saw a tall shadow fall onto their table.

Turning their eyes up, the twins found their professor standing above them with a sneer. Harry cringed as Emerald politely stared back.

"What are you two doing, if I may ask?" His tone was too sharp to actually be asking anything, yet she replied none the less.

"We're talking, sir. We finished a bit ago, and you did not give an assignment for afterwards."

Snape's lips curled into an even larger leer as he uncovered their cauldron, then taking a ladle and pouring some of their brew into a translucent cup, he examined it closer for any error.

He stared for a moment, before placing the cup onto the table with a little more force than needed. "Passable." Was all he said as he turned his back towards the twins, walking to another Gryffindor who was  _not_ as lucky as themselves. Poor Neville. Emerald felt quite sorry for him as she watched Snape chew him out for not crushing the ingredients exactly right and having his fire too low.

"Ten points from Gryffindor, for having such a terrible first start!" 

And there was the normal Snape that they had been warned about by the older students.

After more points were taken from Gryffindor and others added to Slytherin, the potions class was finally over. Harry and Emerald hurried over to their friends as everyone piled out of the dungeons. In an instant, Hermione was asking about how Emerald managed to make her brew so quickly as Harry and Ron complained about how much they hated the lesson. 

Emerald took out their schedule as they walked the halls. "So, what do we have next?..."

Hermione answered her before she could even get a proper look at the slip of parchment. "Its lunch time for now. Then study hall." Ron ran past them at the would 'lunch' and Harry shook his head, waved to Emerald, and hurried after him. 

The two girls simply rolled their eyes and walked at a calmer pace, as neither of them were all that hungry.

"So, instead of crushing it with the mortar, you just mashed it with the side of your knife?"

Emerald nodded. "Yep! The same way you crush garlic to get the shelling off."

Hermione smiled. "I had never thought of doing that. I mean, obviously I have never made a potion before, but I most likely wouldn't have thought of that on my own. Too simple in my mind, I suppose."

"Potion making is really quite like cooking. If you're a good cook, you are very likely to be an acceptional potion brewer."

Hermione's grinned turned a tad less bright. "My mother would be excellent in that case; her cooking is wonderful."

Emerald looked at her friend for a moment, before speaking softly. "Then you might ask her to owl you some sweets or something of the sort? It wouldn't be too heavy for the owl I'm sure, and you might be a little less homesick."

Hermione thought of that for a moment, then nodded firmly. "I think that that's a wonderful idea." She took a breath as she became more comfortable with the unsaid part of Emerald's suggestion: she would be able to stay in contact with her family, even here. Hermione knew that of course; Hogwarts wouldn't be so cruel as to keep students away from their families a whole school year, but it comforted her to hear it from someone else.

"Come on, we'll be too late to eat if we don't hurry."

The rest of the day went rather well after that. It became clear to the teachers who would be the two best in their class, as Emerald and Hermione finished all their assignments throughout the first week without a problem, and were the first to answer questions during their lessons.

However, the two went about it a bit differently. You see, while Hermione would raise her hand rather impatiently in order to put in a 'to add to that, professor' or 'professor, couldn't you also do this?' and 'professor, please..', Emerald would simply wait her turn. If the teacher wanted an answer from the class, she would raise her hand a little, but not wave it around Hermione was prone to doing. If the red head had a question, she would go up to the teacher after the session and ask then, not wanting to interrupt the class.

It became apparent which ones the students appreciated more as they rolled their eyes at the puffy haired girl, and then stared a little less in order to be polite at the girl who was supposedly dead. Emerald was thankful for that.

Emerald started writing to Sirius, doing her best to do so every other day right before bed. When she would go to breakfast, she would always have an owl dropping his reply for her to read. Harry became very curious about her caregiver that she would write to, so he started asking more about their godfather-though he did not know that that was who he was asking about. His twin was happy to tell Harry about him, saying how inept he was at potion brewing, which in turn made her fairly skilled in it so that they could have the normal potions needed for everyday things. She talked about how much he enjoyed playing jokes on his friends and how he could make her laugh, even if she wanted to be mad at him at the time.

In turn, she asked about the Dursleys; mainly how she could make them the most irritated in commupense for treating her brother so foully. He told her all she wanted to know rather gleefully. 

The week drew on, and finally it came time to practice the art of broom flying for the first time.

All the first years were full of excitement. The only thing was that again, it was a joint class for Gryffindor and Slytherin, which made the two Houses a little less happy.

That morning both Houses of first years hurried down to breakfast, receiving their mail by owls without much thought to it as they discussed how they couldn't wait to be able to fly around and maybe next year try out for Quidditch. Neville was listening to Ron and Seamus have such a conversation until a round wrapped package fell onto his hand, proceeding to drop into his hands. He gave an 'Ouch!' before opening his package. Emerald heard Hermione give a small gasp.

"That's a remembrance ball! When you forget something, it turns into a red mist inside to remind you!"

Neville nodded. "Gran knows how forgetful I can be." The ball began to turn into that red mist that Hermione mentioned. "I just wish I could remember what I forgot."

After breakfast they headed out into the courtyard to stand in two long lines, facing each other with bated breath until professor Hooch came along.

 Professor Hooch was a very spirited teacher, as she walked along the lines of first years, telling them how exactly to command their brooms to respond to their 'up'. Harry took to it in an instant, his broom flying up into his held out hand after his first try. Emerald was a little after him, her broom going into her grasp on her third try. Both were far quicker at it than their peers...other than Malfoy, who was right after Emerald. However, that didn't really count, as he had been riding his own broom for quite a while, as he had been boasting about for far too long previously.

Hermione's broom simply rolled around on the ground, as Ron's attempted to give him a bloody nose. Harry laughed at this, causing his red headed friend to grin a 'Shut up, Harry.' at him.

Finally, the whole class had their broom in hand, allowing madame Hooch to continue her lesson.

"Now, once you have ahold of your broom, I want you to mount it. Hold it tight; you don't want to be sliding off the end! When I blow my whistle, I want each of you to kick off the ground,  _hard_. Keep your brooms steady, hover for a moment, lean forward slightly, and touch back down. On my whistle!" The students readied themselves, now on their brooms as she brought the long whistle to her lips.

"Three, two-" A high, shrill sound filled the air, and that exact moment Neville's broom went into the air without his say so.

"Mister Longbottom." The broom went a bit higher, poor Neville becoming even more nervous. "Mi-mister-mister Longbottom!" Madame Hooch said as she reached for him, now going higher up and further away, struggling on his broom. 

"Come back down this instant!"

Oh, if only she knew that that was simply Neville's luck, getting a wonky broom, and that he was absolutely  _not_ wanting this to happen at all.

Up, up he went, calling for help as he did. He did flips and gusted forward, higher again, and then his broom decided that it was finished having its fun apparently, because all soon they found Neville on the ground, clutching his arm in pain. Madame Hooch rushed forward, helping him up. 

"Ow, ow, ow, ow..." He said weakly, no doubt tired from his sudden fright.

"Ohhh dear, its a broken wrist." The teacher tutted as Emerald saw Malfoy pick something up from the corner of her eye. She started walking between the students, supporting Neville a bit.

"Everyone is to keep their feet firmly on the ground while I take Mister Longbottom to the hospital wing. Do you understand? The one that I see two feet off the ground will find themselves out of Hogwarts before you can say 'quid ditch'."

As she walked away, Malfoy stepped forward for all to see, holding up a hand sized orb.

"Did you see his face?" He bounced the orb in his hand. "Maybe if the fat lug had given this a squeeze, he wouldn't have fallen on his fat ass!" 

Harry stepped forward as Emerald narrowed her eyes. "Give it here, Malfoy!"

Draco turned to Harry with a glare. "No, I think I'll leave it somewhere for Longbottom to find."

And with that, he mounted his broom, causing it to climb up into the air. "How 'bout the roof!"

He shot off towards his destination shouting behind him, "What's the matter Potter? Bit beyond your reach?"

Without a thought, Harry chased after him, showing himself to be a natural at flying as he sped after the short blonde.

Emerald called after him in worry "Harry!" 

Emerald heard her twin yell, "Give it here Malfoy or I'll knock you off your broom!"

"Is that so?" He gave a nasty grin. "Have it your way then." And threw it far away. Harry flew as quickly as he could after the ball as it fell closer and closer towards the ground. Emerald yelled loudly as he got within yards of the courtyard guess, still going at full speed. "Harry, stop!"

At the last moment, he caught the remembrance ball, holding it out towards all his peers to see. Most of them cheered, as Emerald found her breath that had been lodged in her throat.

Harry was grinning widely as he landed on the ground, safe and sound, his classmates surrounding him with, "well done's". Those all ceased however, as they saw professor McGonagal stalking towards the large group.

She took Harry away by his arm very quickly, and Malfoy grinned wickedly as Emerald assumed that he believed that he had gotten Harry Potter expelled already.

They all returned the brooms and were walking in the halls. Emerald had gotten away from Ron and Hermione, staying a few people behind Malfoy. Her wand lowered to her side, but pointing at him, she whispered quickly, " _Colloshoo._ " Suddenly Malfoy fell to the ground, his feet adhered to the stone floor. He cursed loudly and tried to lift his feet as everyone around laughed at him. 

Emerald smirked slightly, and while keeping her wand pointed at him as well as her eyes, she whispered, " _Anteoculatia."_ Malfoy yelped rather girlishly as he felt small antlers grow on top of his head. Everyone around them, even the older students, laughed even louder, making the blonde go red in the face with embarrassment and fury.

"Who is doing this!" Emerald held back a grin as she pocketed her wand and walked away rather smugly, though she tried to hide it. As she turned the corner of the hall, she walked pst professor Snape, who looked down at her before speaking sharply. "Miss Potter,  _what_ is going on down there?"

"Well sir, I believe someone gave Malfoy a couple of hexes. He seems to have grown antlers like those of a deer and his feet are stuck to the floor."

His eyes narrowed and his lips turned into a sneer. "And do you have any idea on who would do such a thing? Or  _why_ for that matter, perhaps."

Emerald shook her head innocently and with a look of amusement barely veiled in her eyes. "No sir, can't say that I know who did it. But, maybe whoever did the hexing, did so because he was being a rightful git and needed to know that he did not own the whole bloody school, and thus could not bully another student. Just my opinion, of course."

Snape's eyes became full of distain. "A very detailed description of motive, miss Potter. Could it be at all possible that you did this hex?"

Emerald tilted her head up and smiled gently at him. "I'm sorry professor, but I'm just a first year. The spells that I would think cause such results would probably far too advanced for one on my level. How could I have learned them?"

Snape glared down at her. "How indeed." He swept away, saying the counterspells to the hexes that Emerald performed, harshly yanking the blonde up by his arm. As the two walked past Emerald, she heard the professor hiss to him, "This is why you should not be so open about your insults to people."

Emerald giggled to herself and walked away rather happily.

 _"Thank you, Sirius, for_ _telling me pranking hexes before sending me off here."_ She thought to herself as she made a mental note to write to him all about what happened today. He would be very proud of her.

 


End file.
